1996 Cuvee Vieille Vignes, Pierre Cherrier et Fils. We had this tonight with oak-fired red snapper, fresh spinach and oven-fried spuds. A pale irridescent amber, it shimmers in the glass. Very faint hints of apricot and honeysuckle; a delightful mouthful with some similarities to a fine Mosel Riesling. Listed at $16.99 but on sale for $9.99. She loved it, so I'm cleared to buy more.

This wine sounds wonderful. I very much like the Riesling you mentioned and would love something similar. Tell me what to ask for at my wine shop. I am unfamiliar with this wine . I do not want to insult any one with my "novice ignorance" about wines. My husband and I are trying to learn. We have a guy in California that send us a shipment every three months of really nice wines that he has been able to buy . He usually sends us two bottles of each. We could ask him for some that you would recommend.Thanks,Susie

Tell your retailer that you would like to try a Sancerre, which is a white wine made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape in the Northern Loire Valley of France. It is not as readily available here as many other French wines, but he should be able to turn up at least a couple of labels for you to try. A normal price seems to be $15-$20 per bottle for recent releases, but as other members of the board have mentioned, a Sancerre benefits from 4-5 years of bottle aging after release. I was fortunate to find the '96 at the sale price of $9.99, and it seems to be at its peak.

Had another bottle of the '96 Rossignole VV tonight, with baked catfish, oven fried spuds and gumbo. Holy cow, this stuff is superb! No grassiness, no sting to the mouthfeel, just ripe, subtle fruit, yet it bears no resemblance to any other SB we've had. A $100 wine hiding behind a discounted $10 price tag. And we still have two bottles left.

Sancerre is probably one of our most favorite wines. It matches so beautifully with the local foods here such as crab, halibut, mussels, gooeyduck, and rainbow trout. Sadly, the 98-99-00 vintages have been less than optimal. You have to be very selective.

Sancerre is one of the last great wine values in the world IMHO -- lets hope it stays that way.